Do you know how to trust God when life is hard?

Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Tough times don't last but tough people do.

Do you really have to fight for your right to party?

Romans 12:17-21
Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."

Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

eternity has invaded your neighbourhood.

Go to the people.
Live among them.
Learn from them.
Love them.
Start with what they know.
Build on what they have.
Lift them up.
Spread some joy.
Be a fire-starter.
Get dirty.
Have fun.
Love them like Jesus would love them.

Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

Jesus was a community organizer; Pontius Pilate was a governor.

There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about.
Ask "What's possible?" not "What's wrong?"
Keep asking.
Notice what you care about.
Assume that many others share your dreams.
Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.
Talk to people you know.
Talk to people you don't know.
Talk to people you never talk to.
Be intrigued by the differences you hear.
Expect to be surprised.
Treasure curiosity more than certainty.
Invite in everybody who cares to work on what's possible.
Acknowledge that everyone is an expert about something.
Know that creative solutions come from new connections.
Remember, you don't fear people whose story you know.
Real listening always brings people closer together.
Trust that meaningful conversations can change your world.
Rely on human goodness. Stay together. (Meg Wheatley)

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Be A Boredom Killer

‘Life is tough. It takes up much of your time, all of your weekends and what do you get at the end of it? I think the lifecycle is all backward. You should die first, get that out of the way. Then you should live twenty years in an old age home.

You get kicked out when you’re too young. You get a gold watch, you go to work. You work for forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You go to college, you party until you’re ready for high school. You go to primary school, you become a little kid, you play, you have no responsibilities.

You become a little baby, you go back into the womb. You spend your last nine months floating in the womb and end up as a glint in someone’s eye.’ Mike Yaconelli

Proverbs 3:1-6
Good friend, don't forget all I've taught you; take to heart my commands.
They'll help you live a long, long time,
a long life lived full and well.

Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.

Lord Calvin

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.

RESILIENCE 201

Bloom where you're planted...

The work of Jesus and his Holy Spirit is to touch us more deeply than do dreams. When we discover that God lives in us and carries us, our dreams can disappear without leaving us depressed. We are held by the gift of faith and hope, that fine thread which binds us to God. Jean Vanier

Matthew 5:1-12
The Divine Life is for those who die to the demands of the ego.
Such people will inhabit the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Divine Life is for those who have lived through tragedy and suffering. Such people will be comforted at a deep level.

The Divine Life is for those who bring their passions under control for goodness. It is such people that will inherit the earth.

The Divine Life is for those who hunger and thirst for justice.
Such people will be fed to the full.

The Divine Life is offered to those who are gracious and merciful.
Such people will be treated in a merciful and gracious manner.

The Divine Life is offered to those whose Home is clean on the inside. Such people will know the very presence of God and see his face.

The Divine Life is offered to those who are Makers and Creators of Peace. Such people will be called the children of God.

The Divine Life is known by those who are persecuted for seeking Justice. Such people will know what it means to live in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Divine Life is known by those who are mistreated and misunderstood in their passion for justice. They will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. The prophets were treated this way in the past. (Ron Dart)